Hidden gems you don't want to miss (2020)

12 episodes

Curated by:
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While the events of this year seriously derailed our social plans, it had perhaps the opposite effect on our content consumption. In the podcast world, there were more shows and conversations about our health and the Black Lives Matter movement, released in response to two of the year's biggest topics. We also saw an increase in escapist shows, from nostalgic travel podcasts to period fiction. While there's been no shortage of great content in 2020, CBC Podcasts reached out to industry experts to recommend hidden gem podcasts that stood out to them.


  • 1

    Remember what Friday nights used to feel like? It was freedom, that moment when you get off work, and your time no longer belongs to someone else — the night is yours. Here is an ode, a time capsule, ...Show More

    cbcpodcasts recommended:

    "Welcome to LA was stunning. I took a long bath on a Friday night and listened to David Weinberg's elegy to Friday nights of the past." - Avery Trufelman, The Cut

  • 2

    Content Warning: This episode contains gun violence and racial and ethnic slurs. A numbers war begins in 1920s Harlem. Starring: Gabrielle Adkins - Madame Stephanie St. Clair Ian Bell - Dutch Schult...Show More

    cbcpodcasts recommended:

    "Created by Yhane Smith, and her research on the life of the real Stephanie St. Clair, a numbers queen and activist in the Harlem Renaissance, Harlem Queen brings all the glamour, drama, and insight i...Show More

  • 3

    Governments are taking drastic measures to try to slow down the spread of #COVID-19 - declaring emergencies, shutting down businesses and sealing borders.  But what about drug users? We have been faci...Show More

    cbcpodcasts recommended:

    "Crackdown for me shows the power of podcasting—an ongoing series about drugs, drug policy and the war on drugs, made by people who are directly affected. Old school media would kill the mic on this p...Show More

  • 4

    Prologue

    This is not a Drake podcast

    12:04 | Jul 7th, 2020

    2 recommendations

    One of the most popular rappers in America isn’t American. But this podcast isn’t really about him. Drake’s success is a culmination of many unheard moments, songs, and artists that made hip-hop and B...Show More

    cbcpodcasts recommended:

    "I really enjoyed this podcast. I think we desperately need more Canadian journalists covering our cultural, music and arts scenes and this podcast is proof positive of the importance of our stories r...Show More

  • 5

    Once Upon a Time... in the Valley S1 | Ep 12: After The Afterglow

    Once Upon a Time… at Bennington College

    40:02 | Sep 15th, 2020

    1 recommendation

    A crucial new piece of information comes to light. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. V...Show More

    cbcpodcasts recommended:

    "I really enjoyed Once Upon A time.... In The Valley, the story of porn star Traci Lords. They managed to get interviews from all sides of the scandal that was Traci and in the end, it's really up to ...Show More

  • 6

    Prologue

    California Love

    11:16 | Jul 9th, 2020

    3 recommendations

    Host Walter Thompson-Hernández returns home to L.A. and reflects on how much the city has changed since he was a child. California Love sponsors include: Stream We Are Freestyle Love Supreme ...Show More

    cbcpodcasts recommended:

    "One show I listened to and really enjoyed this year was California Love—a sort of audio memoir by Walter Thompson-Hernandez. The whole thing felt like a love letter to LA , except it was filled with ...Show More

  • 7

    Choose Wisely

    Whistleblower

    31:46 | Sep 17th, 2020

    3 recommendations

    Next stop, Philadelphia, specifically Delaware County, where the 2007 NBA betting scandal was hatched. “Delco”, as Delaware County is commonly known, is home to the Sixers, bookmakers, and Philly mobs...Show More

    cbcpodcasts recommended:

    "Even for someone who doesn't follow the NBA, sports journalist Tim Livingston's show was mesmerizing. It foregoes focusing on the story's more salacious elements to paint a broader, and vastly more i...Show More

  • 8

    Episode 1: The Masked Man

    Deep Cover: Never Seen Again

    39:18 | Jul 13th, 2020

    5 recommendations

    Detroit FBI agent Ned Timmons busts Toby Anderson, a violent criminal who also fancies himself a budding country music star. Ned flips Toby and goes undercover as a biker, but Toby quickly goes out of...Show More

    cbcpodcasts recommended:

    "I loved Pushkin's Deep Cover. It's a bingeable crime series that's almost too outlandish to be true. The music, the cast of characters (and accompanying sketch portraits), and Walton Goggins' voiceov...Show More

  • 9

    Van Jones

    Hotboxin With Mike Tyson

    1:12:27 | Feb 6th, 2020

    1 recommendation

    Van Jones is like the Van Gogh of fighting for justice and human rights. But Van Gogh never helped pass bi-partisan criminal justice reform. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoi...Show More

    cbcpodcasts recommended:

    "Iron Mike and the gang rock surprisingly great interviews, even while they indulge in various cannabis products." - Glynn Washington, Snap Judgment Studios

  • 10

    1: Crossing Guard

    Constellation Prize

    38:18 | Jul 14th, 2020

    8 recommendations

    Bianca goes looking for a stranger and meets Sophia, a school crossing guard. They spend six months together. Featuring: Sartre, twists, and organ music.

    cbcpodcasts recommended:

    "Bianca Giaever made a series that reminded me why I love this medium, and that it's possible to take on the ~big~ questions with humor, weirdness, and grace." - Jody Avirgan, This Day in Esoteric Pol...Show More

  • 11

    Your Blood Is Amazing

    Period Queen

    19:39 | May 19th, 2020

    3 recommendations

    In this episode, find out why your menstrual cycle is so much more than managing a period and how the emotional changes throughout the month are actually four superpowers. Within each cycle you have f...Show More

    cbcpodcasts recommended:

    "Bianca Giaever made a series that reminded me why I love this medium, and that it's possible to take on the big questions with humor, weirdness, and grace." - Jody Avirgan, This Day in Esoteric Polit...Show More

  • 12

    📍Greetings from Somewhere

    Greetings from Somewhere | A Travel Show

    01:45 | Nov 12th, 2020

    1 recommendation

    Join Zach Mack on his travel adventures Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    cbcpodcasts recommended:

    "I had never heard a travel podcast until Greetings from Somewhere, and you can't help but appreciate the show's timing. Just as the holidays are approaching and health departments are advising millio...Show More

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